Stackable cookie package and tray

ABSTRACT

A COOKIE PACKAGE INCLUDING AN OPEN-TOPPED COOKIE TRAY DEFINING PARALLEL COMPARTMENTS EACH DEFINING A FLOOR SECTION FOR SPACING A STACK OF COOKIES IN A SAID TRAY AWAY FROM A STACK OF COOKIES IN A LIKE UNDERLYING TRAY. THE TRAY PROVIDES SUPPORT RIBS EFFECTIVELY FOR CONTACTING COOKIES AT SPACED POINTS FOR SO SPACING THE COOKIES, AND FOR RESILIENTLY CUSHIONING THE COOKIES AGAINST SHOCK AND STACKING   LOADS. THE FLOOR SECTION OF A SUPERPOSED TRAY NESTINGLY RECEIVES COOKIES IN AN UNDERLYING TRAY TO RESIST TRANSVERSE SLIDING MOVEMENT TO STABILIZE UNSUPPORTED STACKS OF SUCH PACKAGES.

June 19, 1973 s. c. GRAHAM 3,740,238

STACKABLE COOKIE PACKAGE AND TRAY Filed Jan. 4. 1971 2 Sheets-Sheet 1FJGJ.

' [PR/012 ART) June 19, 1973 s. c. GRAHAM 3,740,238

STACKABLE COOKIE PACKAGE AND TRAY Filed Jan. 4. 1971 2 Sheets-Sheet 23,740,238 STACKABLE COOKIE PACKAGE AND TRAY Seymour C. Graham, 2800 LakeShore Drive, Chicago, Ill. 60657 Filed Jan. 4, 1971, Ser. No. 103,381Int. Cl. B65d 21/02 US. Cl. 99-171 CT 11 Claims ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE A cookie package including an open-topped cookie traydefining parallel compartments each defining a floor section for spacinga stack of cookies in a said tray away from a stack of cookies in a likeunderlying tray. The tray provides support ribs effectively forcontacting cookies at spaced points for so spacing the cookies, and forresiliently cushioning the cookies against shock and stacking loads. Thefloor section of a superposed tray nestingly receives cookies in anunderlying tray to resist transverse sliding movement to stabilizeunsupported stacks of such packages.

This invention relates to an improved cookie tray and package, andparticularly to a package utilizing a thinwalled plastic tray.

Such trays and packages have been finding increased use for thepackaging, shipping and displaying of cookies. Such trays currentlyprovide two or three longitudinally extending compartments in which rowsof cookies are stacked on edge. The lowermost edge portions of thecookies rest against the floors of the compartments, and the uppermostedge portions of the cookies project above the tray. The cookie filledtrays are customarily enclosed in transparent flexible wrap, so that acustomer may view the cookies in the package.

Packages of cookies of that type are usually stacked in shippingcartons, are shipped to retailers and are then removed from the cartonand stacked on the retailers shelves. When so stacked, the cookies insuperposed packages are essentially in contact, i.e., they abut throughthe intermediate floor of the upper package and the flexible wrap. Assuch, the lowermost edge portions of cookies in an upper packagesubstantially contact the upper edge portions of cookies in the nextlower package, causing them to abrade during shipment and stacking, andcausing them to break and crumble.

The result of such contact is that the cookies crumble and break fillingthe trays with crumbs and cookie pieces detracting from the appearanceof the package, making trays of this type and packages utilizing themless attractive for use.

In accordance with this invention an improved cookie tray and animproved cookie package are provided. All of the advantages of prior arttrays of the general type described may be retained, while thedisadvantages resulting from the use of such trays which permit crushingcontact of cookies during shipping and stacking of juxtaposed prior artpackages incorporating such trays are avoided.

The tray of this invention is of a thin resiliently flexible plasticmaterial. It includes a longitudinal cookie receiving compartmentcomprising sidewalls and a floor section, for nestingly receiving astack of cookies positioned on edge therein. The floor section comprisesa base and support means or ribs which together define a generallyU-shaped channel. The cookies positioned in the compartment aresupported therein so that when superposed wrapped packages incorporatingsuch trays are stacked or are positioned on a horizontal supportsurface, the lowermost edges of the stack of cookies are spaced "UnitedStates Patent "ice from an underlying stack of cookies or from thesupport surface.

To that end the support means serve to space the lowermost edges of thestack of cookies above the lowermost portion of the tray. In a preferredembodiment the stack of cookies in a tray is maintained in spacedrelation to the floor or base of the tray and the floor and supportmeans are resiliently flexible to cushion the cookies against verticalshock loads which might otherwise crush or crumble the cookies.

Preferably, the floor section is proportioned nestingly to receive theuppermost edges of an underlying stack of cookies, thereby to resistsidewise sliding movement to make an unsupported stack of packages muchmore stable than those utilizing known types of cookie trays of thisgeneral character.

Further objects, advantages and features of this invention will becomeapparent from the following description and drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a stack of prior art cookie packages;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an improved cookie package embodying theprinciples of this invention;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a stack of cookie packagesin accordance with FIG. 2, as though taken substantially along the line33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a bottom perspective view of a cookie tray of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 3 of a further embodiment of thisinvention;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary view similar to FIG. 3 of another embodiment ofthis invention, as though taken substantially along the line 66 of FIG.7;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a cookie tray of apackage of FIG. 6; and

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7 of a further embodiment of a cookietray of this invention.

FIG. 1 illustrates a stack of packages exemplary of the prior art.Packages P each comprise a tray T defining a pair of elongatecompartments Y nestingly accommodating longitudinal stacks of circularcookies C. Compartments Y comprise sidewalls and a floor contacted bythe edges of the cookies. Each package is enclosed by transparentflexible wrap W. As will be seen in FIG. 1, a stack of packages P placesthe lower edges of the longitudinal stacks of cookies C against thefloor of a tray T. The floor of the tray T bears directly against thenext lower package of cookies C through the lightweight intermediateflexible wrap W. Any vertical pressure applied to the stack of packagesP results in compression of the effectively contacting edges ofsuperposed cookies C, tending to crumble and crush them. Furthermore,the generally flat bases of the compartments of the trays permit easysidewise sliding of one package with respect to the next lower package,thereby resulting in a very unstable stack of packages. Freestandingstacks of packages P on a retailers shelves frequently fall, furtherendangering the integrity of the cookies.

Referring to FIGS. 2 to 4, a cookie package 10 embodying the principlesof this invention includes a thin, resiliently flexible transparentplastic tray 12, as of polystyrene, polypropylene or the like,containing longitudinal stacks or rows of generally circular, edgesupported cookies C. The package is enclosed by transparent flexiblewrap 14.

Cookie tray 12 is open-topped and defines a pair of longitudinal,parallel open-topped closed-bottom cookie compartments 20. Eachcompartment 20 is defined by a pair of end walls 22 and a pair ofconcave sidewalls, including an outer sidewall 24 and an inner sidewall26, for nestingly accommodating and receiving opposite side edgeportions of cookies C. Inner sidewalls 26 merge upwardly in alongitudinal crest 28 which serves to space the compartments 20 and thestacks of cookies C from each other. The end walls 22 and outersidewalls 24 terminate upwardly in a peripheral lip 30. The lip 30 andcrest 28 all lie well below the upper edges of the cookies so that, aswill appear, stacks of packages will be effectively supported directlyon upper edges of cookies in lower packages.

Sidewalls 24 and 26 preferably define a plurality of corrugations 32 tostrengthen the sidewalls, and generally vertical ribs 34 may also beprovided to strengthen end walls 22. Rigidifying ribs and struts, anddenesting lugs (not illustrated) now known to the art may also be used.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 2 to 4, each compartment terminates at itsbase in an integrally formed longitudinal, centrally located, downwardlyprojecting floor section 40. As best seen in FIG. 3, the floor section40 comprises a wide floor or base 42 and spaced apart generally verticalsupport ribs 44 which together define a hollow longitudinal generallyU-shaped channel opening upwardly into compartment 20 for receiving alower edge portion of each cookie C in a stack. Ribs 44 cooperate withsidewalls 24, 26 of a compartment to space the lowermost edges of astack of cookies above base 42 so that they will not bear against theupper edges of a stack of cookies directly beneath in a further, likepackage 10.

In FIG. 3, stacks of cookies C are illustrated substantially as beingsupported or suspended at a pair of spaced points in each compartment20. The sidewalls 24, 26 merge into the downwardly projecting ribs 44 toprovide longitudinal support edges 46 engaging cookies edges at spacedpoints stradding a lowermost edge portion, said points being spacedapart a distance less than the diameter of the cookies. Ribs 44 projectvertically downwardly a sufficient distance so that the base 42 whichextends between the lower extremities of the ribs 44 is spaced below thelowermost edge L of cookies C, even when a plurality of packages 10 arestacked on each other.

Preferably base 42 is formed to be slightly concave (when viewed fromthe bottom), thereby nestingly to receive the uppermost edge of a stackof cookies C in an underlying package. The interposed somewhat looselayers of very thin flexible wrap 14 do not interfere with such nestingnor with the action of the base and ribs 44. The width of base 42 ispreferably such that it can rflex inwardly to assume a greater degree ofconcavity when the weight of a stack of packages 10' tends to crushlower packages 10 of a stack.

Ribs 44 not only cooperate with the sidewalls effectively to suspend thecookies above the base or a support surface S, also cooperate with base42 resiliently to cushion shock loads. The trays are quite thin, such asseveral mils thick, and are resiliently flexible. The initial concavityof base 42 is not as great as the degree of curvature of the underlyingcookies. As such, base 42 can resiliently flex to a greater degree ofconcavity under vertical shock loads. Because ribs 44 incline slightlytoward base 42, shock forces exerted against the cookies, hence againstsidewalls 24, 26 and support edges 46, will tend resiliently to springribs 44 outwardly. This tends to cushion cookies against damage andcrumbling contact with a lower stack or with surface 3.

The nesting relationship of the concave base 42 and the convex upperedge of the cookies C in a lower package serves to resist relativesidewise sliding movement when the cookie packages are in afree-standing stack. If the base of the tray was effectively flat, aswith typical prior art trays, then the packages could easily slidesidewise, causing such stacks to tumble and the cookies to be damaged.

It is apparent that the cookies do not physically contact each other, ora support surface S, because of the interposed wrap 14 and base 42.However, when those simply lie, as between upper and lower cookies inthe manner of the prior art, the cookies are in effective contact andhence may be crushed and crumbled under shock and stacking loads.

Referring now to FIG. 5, packages 10' are essentially identical to thoseof the embodiment of FIGS. 2 to 4, except that the base 42' of tray 12'is formed to be substantially flat (as seen in the lowermost package10). The thin-Walled resilient plastic material of which tray 12' isformed is sufficiently flexible so that when the fiat compartment bases42' are superposed with respect to a next lower package 10' the weightof the superposed packages will tend to deform the bases 42' intoconcave configurations, thereby nestingly to receive the uppermost edgeof a stack of cookies in an underlying package, substantially in themanner of the embodiment of FIGS. 2 to 4, and with substantially thesame results. The other ad-- vantages and features described inconnection with FIGS. 2 to 4 inhere in the embodiment of FIG. 5.

Referring now to FIGS. 6 and 7, cookie packages each include atransparent tray 112 containing longitudinal stacks of generallycircular cookies C. Each package 100 is enclosed by transparent flexiblewrap 114. Like the tray described in connection with FIGS. 2 to 5,cookie tray 112 is open-topped and defines at least a pair oflongitudinal parallel cookie compartments 120. Each compartment isopen-topped and is defined by a pair of end walls 122 and a pair ofconcave sidewalls 124 for nestingly accommodating side edge portions ofcookies C. Inner sidewalls 124 merge upwardly into an elongatelongitudinal crest 128. A peripheral lip circumscribes package 100. Thesidewalls may be suitably corrugated and tray 112 may incorporaterigidifying ribs and struts, denesting lugs, and the like. Crest 128 andlip 130 terminate well below the upper edges of the cookies so thatstacks of cookies in superposed packages will bear directly against anext adjacent package.

Each compartment 120 terminates in a centrally located floor section140. As best seen in FIG. 6, floor section comprises an integral base142 and support means including spaced apart generally verticalcontinuous elongate support ribs 144. Support ribs 144 and base 142define a hollow longitudinal channel opening downwardly for nestinglyreceiving an upper edge portion of cookies C in an underlying package100. The lowermost edges of the cookies in the package 100 are supportedon base 142, but are spaced above the plane defined by the lowermostsupport edges 146 of support ribs 144.

Ribs 144 resiliently support a package 100 against the upper edges of astack of cookies in an underlying package, or against a support surfaceS, and project vertically downwardly sufficiently far so that the loweredges of an upper stack of cookies is always spaced from the upper edgeof an overlying stack of cookies by a distance greater than thethickness of the interposed layers of flexible wrap 114 and base 142,even when a plurality of such packages are stacked upon each other.

This spacing and arrangement of the ribs 144 and base 142 defining thehollow channel also serves nestingly to receive the uppermost edge of astack of cookies in an underlying package, thereby to resist relativesidewise sliding movement, for the purposes expressed in connection withthe embodiment of FIGS. 2 to 4. Further, the rib means 144, because ofthe thin material of which they are formed, are capable of flexingoutwardly, thereby to cushion the effect of shock loads generally in themanner described above.

structurally, the embodiment of FIG. 8 is the same as that of FIG. 7,except that the support ribs are segmental rather than continuous.Support rib segments 144' are spaced close enough together to preventcollapse of a tray 112 when filled and stacked in the manner describedin connection with the embodiment of FIGS. 6 and 7, and serve to performall of the functions of ribs 144.

In all of the embodiments it will be seen that generally verticallyoriented support means serve to resilient- 1y space the lower edge ofcookies in a tray from the upper edge of cookies in an underlying trayor from an underlying fiat support surface. In the case of curvilinearcookies, such as circular cookies, the base of a tray and the supportmeans define a longitudinal hollow channel for receiving the free edgesof a stack of cookies and for spacing those free edges from verticallyconfronting cookie edges by a distance substantially greater than thethickness of the tray base and interposed flexible wrap.

It is intended that this invention shall not be limited to the specificembodiments illustrated and described since the foregoing descriptionand drawings will suggest to those skilled in the art furthermodifications which are within the spirit and purview of this invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A stackable cookie package, comprising a thin resilently flexibleplastic tray defining at least two parallel open-topped longitudinallyextending compartments, each of said compartments containing alongitudinal stack of cookies of uniform size and shape standing on theedge therein and projecting upwardly beyond said plastic tray, said trayand cookies being enclosed in a flexible plastic wrapper, each of saidcompartments comprising longitudinal sidewalls terminating at theirlower edges in an elongate centrally located floor section, said floorsection being proportioned stably to support a said package on ahorizontal support surface, said sidewalls nestingly accommodating sideedge portions of a longitudinal stack of cookies, said floor sectioncomprising a base and spaced apart elongate longitudinal support meansfor spacing the lowermost edges of a longitudinal stack of cookies in afirst upper package from the uppermost edge of cookies in a like lowerpackage.

2. A stackable cookie package in accordance with claim 1, wherein saidcookies define a curvilinear edge and said sidewalls are concave.

3. A stackable cookie package in accordance with claim 2, whereinsupport means project upwardly from said base and said lowermost edgesare spaced above said base.

4. A stackable cookie package in accordance with claim 2, wherein saidcookies are circular and said sup-.

projecting downwardly from said sidewalls and terminating in said base,said base and said ribs defining a generally U-shaped channel into whichthe lowermost edges of said cookies depend.

7. A stackable cookie package in accordance with claim 6, wherein saidbase is concave to nestingly receive the uppermost edges of cookies in alike lower package to resist transverse sliding movement of saidstackable cookie package.

8. A stackable cookie package, comprising a thin resiliently flexibleplastic tray defining at least two parallel open-topped longitudinalcookie compartments, each of said compartments containing a row ofgenerally circular cookies of a generally uniform diameter standing onedge therein, and projecting upwardly beyond said tray, and a wrapperenclosing said cookies and tray, each said compartment comprisingarcuate sidewalls and a base, and rib means associated with saidsidewalls for suspending said row of cookies above said base, said ribmeans and said base together defining a channel opening upwardly intosaid compartment for receiving lower edge portions of said cookies inspaced relation to said base, whereby when a plurality of said packagesare stacked, the said ribs and base of each package resiliently cushionsaid cookies against crushing and crumbling contact with cookies in alike package directly beneath.

9. A stackable cookie package in accordance with claim 8, wherein saidsidewalls merge into said rib means and there define longitudinal edgesspaced apart a distance less than the diameter of the cookies forsuspending the cookies above the base of the tray.

10. A stackable cookie package in accordance with claim 9 wherein saidbase is flexible and is proportioned to nestingly receive upper edgeportions of a stack of cookies in a like package therebeneath, therebyto resist transverse sliding movement of a stack of said packages.

11. A stackable cookie package in accordance with claim 10, and whereinsaid base is concave.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,254,030 2/1966 'Knirim 229--2.5X 3,493,164 2/1970 Edwards 2292.5 3,349,943 10/1967 Box 220-97 R X3,372,812 3/1968 Parcels 211126 X 3,212,907 10/1965 Caprioli 99---17l CTTIM R. MILES, Primary Examiner W. L. MENTLIK, Assistant Examiner US. Cl.X.R.

9917l TC; 20645.33; 22097 RC; 211-49 R, 126

